A lesbian from Uganda who faced being deported back to her home country will be allowed to remain in the United Kingdom under a temporary reprieve.
The U.K. high court granted Brenda Namiggade the temporary stay Friday, after David Kato, a gay Ugandan activist, was found dead in his home. It is suspected that he was murdered for being gay, as he has publicly said he feared for his life.
Namiggade has been living in the U.K. since 2002 and applied for asylum so she could become a permanent legal resident there. However, an immigration judge overseeing her case said there was no evidence that Namiggade was a lesbian. She was scheduled to be deported to Uganda Friday from Heathrow Airport and had even been escorted to the airport, where she heard the news that she would be allowed to remain in her adopted country, according to the BBC.
Namiggade, 29, told The Advocate Thursday that she was so worried she had been unable to eat for days. Antigay Ugandan lawmaker David Bahati said she would be welcome to return as long as she “abandon or repent her behavior.”
“I’m not going to repent, because that’s who I am,” Namigadde said. “David Bahati is going to put a death penalty on me.”
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